Flat out to prove a point

BULGARIA’S difficulty is Ireland’s opportunity — or should that be the other way around?

Giovanni Trapattoni’s team will walk out into the cauldron that is the open bowl of the Vassil Levski stadium here in Sofia tonight knowing that one point or three would represent a giant leap towards securing at least a runners-up spot in the race for qualification for the World Cup finals in South Africa.

For the home side, by contrast, nothing less than victory will suffice and, with their star names back on board and having taken a point in Dublin, the Bulgarians will throw everything at the visitors in a bid to keep their World Cup dream alive.

Even a defeat tonight would not be a disaster for the visitors but a victory for the home side would still see them close the gap to just two points behind the Irish, with a game in hand. In short, if the Bulgarians can turn the tables on Ireland tonight, the result would go a long way to turning the Group 8 table on its head.

With so much at stake, never has Giovanni’s favourite mantra seemed more applicable: you go out to win every game, he likes to say, but if you can’t win, it’s vital that you don’t lose.

“This game is very important but it is also a difficult game for us,” he says. “I am conscious of how important it is to finish this long season with a positive result. Before last Friday’s friendly against Nigeria I was a little bit worried that the players would be tired but since that game I am confident again because I see how well they responded. We know the famous Bulgarian players and, I repeat, my players will need to concentrate 100%. (Dimitar) Berbatov and (Martin) Petrov were missing in the game in Dublin and we have particular respect for them.”

Ireland captain Robbie Keane too needs no reminding of the threat of Berbatov.

“He’s very dangerous,” says Keane. “I had the privilege to play with him for two years at Tottenham and he’s a massive danger to us. But there are also other players who are just as important to the Bulgarian team.”

It’s a point well made. Along with the returning Valeri Bojinov of Man City, Berbatov and Martin Petrov might be the players the Bulgarians will look to for goals. But Ireland will also be anxious to ensure that gifted playmaker Stilian Petrov isn’t given the freedom of the park to supply the ammunition, as he was in the 1-1 draw in Dublin in March.

If anything, the anticipated Bulgarian onslaught will probably suit the methodology of Trapattoni, a manager who is never inclined to let his charges off the leash unless absolutely required. The first order of business then, will be to contain the opposition, attempt to silence a partisan crowd and, the absolute priority, avoid conceding an early goal — as Ireland have already done twice in this group, at home to Georgia and away to Italy.

That means that Trapattoni’s conservative nature as a coach will be reflected not only in the defensive work of the back four and Shay Given but also in the protective duties of Glenn Whelan and Keith Andrews in central midfield and the demands to track back on the nominally attacking wide men, Damien Duff and Stephen Hunt. Should it be all hands to the pump, Robbie Keane will also drop deep to bolster the midfield leaving Caleb Folan as the lone frontman — when he’s not using his height to help defend corners late on.

But if all that sounds like Ireland in ultra-defensive mode, it’s not all that different to the way they’ve played under Trapattoni, except when having to chase the game.

But it’s an encouraging fact that in only one of Trapattoni’s 12 matches in charge to date — the 0-0 draw in Montenegro — have his teams failed to score. Narrow wins might have been the order of the day but getting his sides over the line is something of a speciality of the Italian. Under Trapattoni, Ireland have also shown admirable resilience in retrieving difficult situations, even if they might have been substantially to blame for getting themselves into the mess in the first place. For Trapattoni, it’s all about a means to an end: “On the one hand there is the show and on the other, the result.”

There is no doubt which matters most tonight, as even Trap sceptics will appreciate. And with keeping Bulgaria scoreless the main order of business, all eyes will be on the performance of Preston’s Sean St Ledger who has been selected to make his competitive debut in one of the most intimidating settings in European football. Trapattoni has complete faith in the player, Ledger’s confident performance in the friendly against Nigeria confirming his place in the starting line-up.

Yesterday, Trapattoni described him as “clever, quick and able to play off either foot” and for those who might have doubted his ability to make the step up, the manager was quick to remind them of Caleb Folan’s showing in Bari. That was also the game, the manager intimated, which confirmed in his mind his decision to start John O’Shea at right back tonight, even though it means the break-up of a developing partnership in the centre with Richard Dunne. But when Trapattoni swapped O’Shea and Paul McShane in the second half of the match in Bari, Ireland suddenly had a much more solid look about them defensively. Now, with McShane injured, Trapattoni is happy to use the Manchester United man in the right full position from the start, where he must curb the threat of Martin Petrov.

The rival ambitions are clear cut. For Bulgaria, this is a must-win. For Ireland it’s — as Trap himself might say — a must no lose.